UF Directory Middleware Project

Chuck Frazier, Vice Provost for Information Technology

As many of you already know the university has begun a project to improve our enterprise-wide directory services. Current directory services provide information regarding individual names, addresses and phone numbers and support for authentication and authorization for access to a wide variety of computer systems. The improved directory will add information on university organizations, provide support for unit level directory information extensions, support the new UF identifier and will be noticeably more user-friendly. It will also allow us to participate in the Internet 2 initiative, a project that will ultimately facilitate our work with other universities and government agencies on advanced network applications and technologies.

The directory will be a single repository for university-wide directory information. It will help you and your units by reducing or eliminating the time needed to maintain local lists and databases. Processes for adding and updating information also will be streamlined. Easily accessible and more accurate directory information will be available to help you do your work and support communications involving all faculty, staff, students, and affiliates in support of our missions.

We are now at a point where we need your specific input. Input from faculty and staff is critically important to our success. A brief survey that includes questions regarding how you currently use directory information, what is helpful, and how you believe services may be improved is available at the Directory Project Web site at www.it.ufl.edu/projects/directory. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and share your experiences and suggestions with the Directory Project Team. We would like you to complete the survey no later than March 14, 2002. Information regarding the project will be posted to the Web site on an ongoing basis.

Please email Warren Curry, Directory Project Leader, and the Project Team at baufdir@nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu if you have any questions. Thank you for helping us in our efforts to improve directory services and information.